The last hurdle on the road to state arrives with a plethora of district rematches and a few surprises. Maybe the closest groupings of semifinalists, from a location viewpoint, I can remember. Lots of close by sites should make for some great crowds. Down to just 8 games this week and only 12 11-man games remain in the TAPPS season. We'll have new champions in Divisions II and III, but the returning champions remain the favorites in Divisions I and IV. Good luck and safe travels!
Division II
Fort Worth Southwest Christian vs. Dallas Christian @ Mesquite Memorial -- The Chargers reach the semifinals again and try to make their 17th state final as they take on the Eagles for a 2nd year in a row. The Chargers rolled through much of their 10-1 campaign, falling only to TCA in Week 4. DC posted wins over other semifinalists, Bishop Lynch and Fort Bend Christian, in the non-district slate and exploded for 63 against FWC last week. That made consecutive 60+ point outings in the playoffs this year. FWC was the first opponent to clear 30 points against DC, other than TCA's dominant victory. The Eagles have consecutive seasons with their most wins since 2004. At 10-2 this year Southwest is back in the semifinals for a 2nd straight season after not winning a playoff game since 2006. The Eagles 2 defeats came to the same TCA squad as DC and SPC runner-up ESD. They won District 1 at 4-0 and beat Faith a 2nd time in the Regional, 28-22 in overtime. The Eagles rushing attack should make them a difficult mark for the DC defense that feasted on FWC turnovers last week. Keeping DC out of the less conventional ways to score on defense and special teams is key for the Eagles chances. The bigger factor though is finding a way to score for the Eagles. Last season's semi ended in a 42-0 handy victory for DC. Both teams dominated FWC on offense and Tyler Grace on both sides of the ball. This should be a tight low scoring game, but the authors leanings are well known. Chargers win 28-20.
Houston Second Baptist vs. Sugar Land Fort Bend Christian @ Rice Univeristy -- A flock of Eagles dominates District 4 in 2021 and a rematch of a Week 11 District title game will decide the South's spot in the Final. Second Baptist took out the defending champion, Austin Regents, last week in a surprise to most. The Eagles 26-16 victory was the 1st loss for Regents to a Division II opponent outside of the championship since 2015. That was the same year that Second Baptist last lost the district title before Fort Bend pushed them off the top step this year. That win in Week 11 was the first win for Fort Bend Christian over Second Baptist since 2006, when they were still called Fort Bend Baptist. The first meeting was a 27-24 win for Fort Bend at home. At 9-3, it is a 6 game win streak for the FBCA since losing 3 in a row in September. Second Baptist is 10-2 on the year with the only other loss to Kinkaid to start the year. I expect pretty much the same game as last time. Who gets the big play or surprise turnover? I'll say Fort Bend Christian gets another win to reach their first TAPPS football final, 28-27.
Division I
Dallas Parish Episcopal @ Dallas Bishop Lynch -- The Panthers have won back to back state titles and are clear favorites again. Only Austin LBJ has knocked off Parish this season, and the Panther offense has scored 28 in all 11 games with 35 in 10 of 11. Perhaps the Midland Christian squad can turn the tables in the final after being the closest this season, but both teams with hurdles to clear this week. The Friars have used 2 playoff wins and a forfeit to get back to even at 6-6. A 52-50 win in 3OT over St. Thomas gets Bishop Lynch into the semis for the first time since 2018. That team lost a 13-9 decision in the state final to Bishop Dunne and finished 8-5 and never lost by more that 8 points in a single game. This Friars squad took multiple big losses mid-year, including 49-13 home loss to Parish on October 15, but has responded to be the only team without a first round bye to reach the semifinals. A bold strike to go for the home and home flip, but maybe the start of an upset with the game at Roffino Stadium. The Panthers are the dominant force in Division I right now and should remain so this week, even on the road. Parish wins 42-18.
Midland Christian vs. San Antonio Central Catholic @ Brownwood -- The Mustangs took down the favored Vikings in a district rematch. Turning a 20 point defeat into a 42-37 victory. The 42 points is the story as the MCS offense has been the trailing unit this year with the defense leading the charge. If MCS is putting both together in November then they will be a tough opponent for Parish in the final. The Buttons win the mascot game in the TAPPS semifinals this year, but have a tough battle here. While Central was the District 2 champions, a Week 11 loss to Antonian certainly changed the expectations. Full marks for the Buttons turning the tables in the Regional and a 10 win season. Maybe they can surprise us here, but I think the Mustangs are clear favorites. MCS wins 40-20.
Division III
Lubbock Christian vs. Lubbock Trinity Christian @ Wolfforth Frenship -- The battle of Lubbock heads to the suburbs to decide a place in the final of wide open Division III. The Eagles are a frequent visitor to the late rounds of the playoffs, losing the state final in 2019. It was 2004 the last time Lubbock Christian won the title, a full decade before Lubbock Trinity started a football program. The Lions have carefully built a program, reaching the semis for the first time in their 8th season. 8-3 is the program record for wins, and they are coming off a huge defensive showing, holding Grace Prep to just 7 last week. It was Grace Prep's only loss of the season and the first time they were held under 30 all season. The Eagles only loss in an 11-1 season is to Colleyville Covenant. They narrowly escaped Pantego last week 31-28, leaving us a district rematch but not the one we expected. In their last meeting the Eagles won 22-10. The Lions defense gives Trinity a great chance to turn the tables. Look for a low scoring game in the South Plains winds. Eagles back in the title game, 12-10.
Houston Cypress Christian School vs. League City Bay Area Christian School @ Houston Delmar -- The Warriors have a collection of the best wins in Division III, including Division II contender Fort Worth Christian, Division IV contender Brazos Christian, Division IV favorite Shiner St. Paul, and a big blowout of SA Holy Cross last week to reach the semis. Maybe they should be the favorites with losses to just SPC champion John Cooper and Division II semifinalist Second Baptist. The Broncos are 10-1 with a sole loss to The Woodlands Christian. That game is the only opponent to score more than 22 on Bay Area Christian this year. Now that they've settled on the final 4 its certain that the Division III champion will have earned it. I could see any of these 4 taking the title. Should be more points in this one than in Lubbock, but the Broncos defense is the best unit I think. Bay Area Christian wins a close one 26-24.
Division IV
Muenster Sacred Heart Catholic School vs. Weatherford Christian School @ Bridgeport -- An 8-4 season for the Tigers has seen them beat the teams they should and lose to the teams you'd expect. One of those teams though is Weatherford Christian. The Lions lost to Sacred Heart 28-14 on October 22. I really don't know enough about these two to have a strong opinion. Looks like both teams have potent offenses and decent defenses. I think in a rematch the offenses should do better than they did the first time. Tigers win a shootout, 43-40.
Shiner St. Paul Catholic High School vs. Hallettsville Sacred Heart Catholic School @ Flatonia -- The Cardinals are the dominant force in Division IV, and would stand a great chance in Division III this year if they were in that classification. St. Paul has the most 11-man titles in TAPPS at 9, and the 2nd most across all of TAPPS football. They've won state titles the last 3 years and 5 of the last 6. At 8-1, only Cypress Christian has bested the Cardinals this year. The Regional match with Brazos Christian may have been the biggest hurdle for the Cardinals, and they inched by, 22-20. The challenger this week is the longtime rival, Sacred Heart Indians. Just 12 miles separate the two schools. Both Catholic in faith tradition. Both use the ISD stadiums in town. At the end of 2011, the Indians had a 7-3 edge in state titles. Now, the Cardinals have won 6 in a decade and lead 9-7. Certainly two schools worthy of a semifinal matchup. This season St. Paul won the head-to-head 47-20. The Cardinals have a 14-3 lead in the series since 2009. At 8-4, its been a good year for Sacred Heart. I just can't see enough of a turn around to win this win. Cardinals back to the final to try for 4 in a row. St. Paul wins, 35-28.
This Week Season: 76-26
Quick Hits concludes the season 105-25.
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